Webster Parish as whole not eligible for free lunches

Webster Parish does not qualify for a federal program that would allow all its students to eat lunch for free.

Child Nutrition Supervisor Sylvia Dupree explained the program and why the parish as a whole does not qualify; however, there are several schools within the parish that do meet the qualifications.

“What you’ve been hearing in the news about the free lunch program is called the Community Eligibility Provision,” she said. “In order to qualify, you must have a minimum percentage of identified students.”

Eligibility requirements dictate that a school or group of schools must have at least 40 percent of the identified